His Polish mother, Jadwiga Cieraszewska, who is understood to have move to the area only recently, was powerless to stop little Eryk being carried through a gap in the wall into the water.

In a statement which was released yesterday, she said: “Eryk will be sadly missed by all the family. We will never forget him.”

Carolyn McFarlane, Eryk’s head teacher at the town’s North Primary School, said: “Eryk had started nursery this session and was such a happy child. It was a pleasure to have him in the nursery.

Eryk will be sadly missed by all the family. We will never forget him

Jadwiga Cieraszewska

“We’re so saddened to hear of this tragedy.

“Our thoughts are with his family at this time and we will offer them any support we can.”

The tragedy struck on Saturday afternoon as Ms Cieraszewska took Eryk and his six-year-old sister to play in the spray being kicked up by the waves battering a sea wall protecting the walkway.

But as the mother paused to take a photograph of the pair splashing in puddles, a freak wave came over the wall, dragging the tot through a gap in the wall and into the rough sea.

The Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat and the Kinghorn coastguard team were on the scene by 3.30pm and the lifeboat crew recovered the boy from the water in a “strong swell”, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.

The lifeboat crew gave emergency medical attention before Eryk was taken to Victoria Hospital in a serious condition.

Police said he died at around 5pm, 90 minutes after he had fallen into the water, in the hospital’s accident and emergency unit.

Yesterday shocked residents turned up at the scene of the tragic incident to lay wreaths of flowers and by the afternoon there were 26 bunches of flowers and assorted toys laid at the section of the sea wall where Eryk was swept away.

Plans are in place to upgrade the 90-year-old sea wall and are expected to include increasing its height by half a metre and adding outlying defences to break up the waves before they reach the wall.

Work had been expected to start early next year.

A spokesman for Fife Constabulary said: “This was a tragic accident. We are doing everything that we can to support the family at this very difficult time.” A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.